User blog:Laquearius/Deadliest Warrior Rematch: Alexander the Great vs Attila the Hun
In another Deadliest Warrior rematch, we'll be looking at the Season 2 episode "Attila the Hun vs. Alexander the Great". Infamous for its nonsensical comparisons, the episode was also the first ancient battle to feature groups of warriors, so we'll be putting both of these conquerors of antiquity at the head of an army to grant them their full potential as warriors, and finally determine who should've been... THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR! Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon was a King of Macedon in the 4th century BC who led extensive military campaigns in Africa and Asia, and established one of the ancient world's largest empires. Alexander was the son of Philip II, the man who had reformed Macedon's armies and established hegemony over the rest of Greece. As such, when Philip died, Alexander inherited a large kingdom and a powerful army. With this, he invaded the much larger nation of Persia. Alexander crushed the Persian army with his great tactical skill in only a few battles, and added their lands to his own. He then brought his army even further east, and waged war against the kings of India. By the time of his death at the age of thirty-two, Alexander's empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River in India. Alexander crushed numerous nations of Asia with his reformed Macedonian army, composed of: |-|Heavy Infantry= Pezhetairoi: '''When Philip II became king of Macedon, he began numerous military reforms. The most notable of these was the introduction of the phalanx to Macedon’s armies, but this was no ordinary phalanx. The pezhetairoi (“foot companions”) used a type of two-handed spear called a '''sarissa, which was about five meters in length, much longer than the dory used by the rest of Greece. Since both hands would be occupied with wielding the sarissa, the foot companions used small Telamon shields, which were essentially miniature versions of the aspis that could be worn on the forearm. As for armour, since the length of the sarissa kept them a safe distance from enemy spears, they wore the linothorax, a type of linen chest armour, which was less protective than the typical musculata, but lighter, cheaper, and easier to make. They also wore conical Phrygian helmets. Hypaspists: '''The Macedonian phalanx required its soldiers to remain in a very rigid formation for it to be effective. Therefore, charging, fighting on uneven ground, or using loose formations was impractical. To fulfill these jobs, as well as protect the exposed flanks and rear of the phalanx, Philip created the hypaspists ("shield-bearers"). There were armed in a manner similar to a traditional Greek hoplite, with a shorter two-and-a-half meter '''dory spear, the large aspis shield, solid musculata armor, a Phrygian helmet, and a kopis sword. The hypaspists were made up of former pezhetairoi, who had distinguished themselves and were granted a place of honor. |-|Light Infantry= Agrianian Peltasts: '''The Agrianes were a Thracian tribe from what is Bulgaria in modern day. They were renowned for their expert javelin throwers, who made up a major part of Alexander’s light infantry. The Agrianian peltasts needed to be light on their feet, so they wore little armor, excluding a '''wicker shield and occasionally a Thracian helmet. They carried a large number of light javelins, and a kopis sword. They proved themselves during Alexander’s Balkan campaigns, in which they were used to pepper enemy hoplites with missiles, weakening them before they reached the Macedonian heavy infantry. Cretan Archers: '''For countless years before Alexander, Crete had been a major source of mercenary archers for the Greek city-states, who were unable to draw large numbers of archers from their populations. Cretans were renowned for their skill with the bow, and unlike archers from many other armies, were capable of fighting effectively in melee. They wielded a '''composite bow, and for when they were forced into melee, a small shield and either a kopis, xiphos, or an axe. |-|Cavalry= Hetairoi: '''The cavalry of Macedon was something of an oddity in the ancient world. Without the invention of stirrups, and the uncommonness of saddles, Greek cavalry was mainly intended for scouting and skirmishes. Even during their days as an inconsequential backwater kingdom, Macedon was famed for their highly-skilled horsemen, who took an uncommonly active role in battle. Philip II continued this tradition, and formed the hetairoi (“companions”). They wielded a four meter spear called a '''xyston, which was held with two hands and was very thin and light, allowing for many thrusts in quick succession. The xyston was also double-headed, which allowed the hetairoi to keep fighting even after one end broke. If the second end broke as well, they carried a curved kopis sword. Also unlike most Greek cavalry, the hetairoi were quite heavily armored, with a musculata and a brimmed Boeotian helmet. Horse Archers: '''Alexander saw the strengths of the armies he defeated, he implemented some of their troop types into his own army. Among these units were the horse archers used extensively by the Scythians and the Persians. These archers were meant to be as quick as possible, so they wore no armor except for the clothes on their back, and wielded the standard '''composite bow. They proved their effectiveness in Alexander's Indian campaigns, in which they were key in combating the Indian chariots at the Battle of Hydaspes. Attila the Hun Attila the Hun was the leader of the Huns from 434 to his death in 453. He ruled over a tribal empire composed of many tribes and led many raids into the territories of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empire. He demanded significant tribute from the Eastern Empire, and invaded when the treaty was broken, defeated the Eastern armies, and enforced a harsher treaty. Later, he broke the treaty himself and invaded again. In 450, Attila invaded Roman Gaul, but was defeated at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains by Flavius Aetius. He then attempted an invasion of Italy, but famine and plague also forced him to retreat. He began to plan a third invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire, but he died in his sleep of a nosebleed before his plans could begin. Attila plundered the Balkans and Italy with a barbarian horde, made up of: |-|Heavy Infantry= Allied Infantry: '''Despite being the ones in charge, the Huns themselves only served in their army as light cavalry. To serve other roles, the Huns called upon the numerous tribes they had subjugated, such as the Goths, Alans, and Franks. Most of these levied troops served as heavy infantry, wielding the standard large, round '''shield and spear that would become the standard for centuries after the fall of Rome. Some would also have a Migration Era swords, which was highly similar to the Roman spatha. Few could afford armor, so most would have to rely on their shield for protection, unless they could afford a Roman ridge helmet or a mail shirt. Some infantry might carry throwing weapons, like the angon, which was an imitation of the Roman pilum, or the francisca, the throwing axe that would become a stable of Charlemagne's armies. |-|Light Infantry= Allied Skirmishers: '''The poorest of the allied troops and the retainers of the wealthier ones served as light skirmishers. They wore no armor at all except for the standard '''shield, and carried various throwing weapons, including the angon, the francisca, or just the normal javelin. Allied Archers: '''The archers of this conglomeration of cultures came from the same crop as the skirmishers did, and served a similar purpose. Most of the archers would've used large '''self bows made a single piece of wood, but there is evidence that some might have used the composite bow of the Roman armies. The archers were also prepared to fight in melee situations, and carried either a spear or Migration Era swords for this purpose. |-|Cavalry= Hunnic Cavalry: '''The Huns were known for being extremely skilled horsemen, learning to ride from before they could walk, and living most their entire lives in the saddle. To maximize their speed, the Huns wore very little armor, with most of their cavalry wearing nothing but simple '''fur clothing. Some wealthier Huns might wear Roman ridge helmets and scale or lamellar armor, but it was still minimal, usually just covering the chest. Their primary weapon was the legendary Hunnic recurve bow. Hunnic bows were significantly more powerful than other composite bows of the era. This also meant that the bows were much larger, but the resulting unwieldiness was nullified by making the bow asymmetrical, similar to the Japanese yumi. After releasing their volleys of bone-tipped arrows, the Huns would move in with their swords. They used Migration Era swords and spears, and in the off hand, a Hun would carry either a small, round shield, or a lasso, for tripping up and pulling over enemy soldiers. Allied Heavy Cavalry: ''' While perhaps not having a culture as tied to their horses as the Huns did, the other tribes of the Hunnic Empire used heavy cavalry as one of their main troop types, and they were certainly skilled horsemen. Like most cavalry forces of the ancient world, they were made up of only the wealthiest of the Migration Era tribes. They wore the best armor available to them: '''mail shirts, ridge helmets, and if a cavalryman was particularly well-off, lamellar armor on top of the mail. They wielded heavy spears, which might be two-handed, or might be short enough to use with a shield. X-Factors Experience Alexander had an active role in military leadership from the time he was eighteen to his death at thirty-two. He fought in his father's campaigns against Greece, and finished the job after Philip died. His campaigns in the east had him fight against the armies of Egypt, India, and of course, the massive Persian Empire. He never lost a single battle in all of his wars. Alexander often fought personally in these battles, serving as the leader of the hetairoi. Attila was king of the Huns for nineteen years, during which he three raids in Germany, the Balkans, northern Italy, Iran, Persia, and Gaul. Not all of these campaigns were successful. Before that, Attila likely fought in his predecessors' battles, but it is unknown if he had a leadership role. Leadership To his men, Alexander was nothing short of a demigod. Many believed him to be the son of Zeus himself, and they were willing to follow him into unknown territory and fight strange foes in a campaign that went further east than any European army. Even the people he conquered came to revere him, with the Egyptians considering him to be the son of the god Amun. Alexander also had many experienced and loyal sub-commanders, such as Parmenion, Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus, all of which would go on to achieve great victories in the succession wars that followed Alexander's death. Attila is considered to have been a just leader to his own people, but brutal to his enemies. Surely many of the newer additions to the allied army would've followed him out of little more than fear. However, Attila's men stayed loyal to him throughout his many raids, even after he murdered his brother Bleda and suffered a defeat at the hands of Aetius. Metallurgy Archaeological evidence shows that Alexander's Macedonian troops used both bronze and iron in their weapons and armor, with weapons tending to be made out of iron, and armor tending to be made of bronze. Attila lived in an era with access to carbon steel, but highly quality steel would not become common until the end of the Dark Ages. Archaeological evidence shows that most weapons used by the Migration Era tribes were made of iron with small amounts of carbon. Training Philip's military reforms created something that the Greek peninsula had not seen before: a professional standing army. Instead of levying troops during wartime and then dismissing them once peace was achieved, Macedon had a military force that was constantly training and always ready for action. Their level of discipline was well-demonstrated in Alexander's wars, where they showed they could preformed complex maneuvers with only minimal instruction. Atilla's army was the complete opposite. Despite coming from cultures that highly valued warriors, they only began active duty when their Hunnic overlords called them to. The Huns themselves are an exception, as they were trained to fight from horseback from birth. Tactics We're going to be trying something a little different when analyzing these two warriors' tactics this time. Instead of trying (and failing) to give a concise overview of the tactics that Alexander and Attila used, we're going to present you with overviews of a few battles that they participated in, and let you decide for yourself how they measure up. Alexander: |-|Battle of Gaugamela= In the decisive battle of the Macedonian-Persian War, Alexander's fifty-thousand man army met King Darius III's army, which was about twice the size and made up of a wide variety of troops, including chariots, Greek mercenaries, and war elephants. Darius had cleared the battlefield beforehand to clear the way for his chariots, and wanted to prevent Alexander from leaving this favorable area, so he acted first and attacked Alexander's right wing with his elite cavalry. The hetairoi drove the Persians off, but suffered severe losses. Darius then sent in his chariots, but the pikemen opened their ranks, allowing the chariots to pass through and be surrounded. Darius then ordered another cavalry attack on the left wing, which was much more successful that the previous, but still the Macedonians held. Darius noticed that Alexander's right was drifting away from the center, leaving a gap which Darius sent his infantry to exploit. However, this left Darius himself exposed, and Alexander took his hetairoi in a charge aimed directly at the king himself. Darius fed the battlefield, along with his center and left wing, allowing the remaining right wing to be easily surrounded and destroyed. |-|Battle of Jaxartes= In this battle at what is now the Syr Darya River, Alexander and six-thousand men faced off against an army of Scythian horse archers about four times the size of his own, who were positioned on the opposite side of the river. He ordered all his men to cross at once, provided more targets than the Scythians could focus their volleys on. He also opened fire with his artillery, driving the Scythians out of range. Once across, Alexander sent a battalion of heavy cavalry forward. They were instantly surrounded by the horse archers, but this distracted them long enough for Alexander to bring up his pikemen and archers onto the Scythians' exposed flanks. Surrounded, the Scythians who had participated were either killed or captured. The rest fled. Before this battle, no Greek army, save Alexander's father, had been able to successfully defeat a nomadic horse archer-based army. Attila: |-|Battle of the Utus= Primary sources discussing Attila's exploits are significantly less detailed than those of Alexander, so much less is known about his battle tactics, but we'll recount his successes as best we can. At the Vit River in modern Bulgaria, Attila was confronted with a massive Eastern Roman army, the size of three standard field armies, lead by the commander-in-chief Arnegisclus. Both sides suffered from heavy casualties, it was a clear victory for the Huns. Arnegisclus was killed in battle, either through Attila's genius or his own overconfidence. The military strength of Eastern Rome was gone, and Attila was free to plunder their territory. |-|Battle of Chersonesus= After Attila's victory at Utus, and with Constantinople in immediate danger, Theodosius began to recall Roman armies from other territories to defend the capital. The new forces were enough to dissuade Attila from attacking the city, but Attila was able to pursue one of these newly-arrived armies to Gallipoli. The army was an allied Germanic one, led by Aspar the Alan. The army was decisively defeated, and this victory persuaded Theodosius to sue for peace. |-|Battle of the Catalaunian Plains= Unlike Alexander, Attila was not an undefeated general. He suffered a significant loss against Flavius Aetius, and it deserves to be discussed. The battle began with Attila's army facing an allied Romano-Gothic army, with both sides having similar numbers. Attila's first move was to lead his own Huns against the enemy Alan cavalry in the Roman center, who broken and fled, and then split into two division to attack the wings. The wings held fast with a shield wall, and returned fire, killing many Huns. Attila's heavy cavalry then moved against the Roman shield wall, but it made no difference. Attila reformed his Huns and charged into the hole left by the Alans, and attack the inner flank of the Romans' Gothic allies. The Gothic king was killed in this battle, and his son, who was waiting in reserve with some cavalry, charged in and attacked the Huns on the right from the rear. Attila's right was destroyed, and seeing a stalemate on the left, Attila ordered a general retreat. Order of Battle and Setting Alexander, for a total of 30,000: *10,000 Pezhetairoi *3,000 Hypaspists *6,000 Peltasts *6,000 Cretan Archers *3,000 Hetairoi *2,000 Horse Archers Attila, for a total of 30,000: *10,000 Allied Infantry *5,000 Allied Skirmishers *5,000 Allied Archers *5,000 Allied Heavy Cavalry *5,000 Hunnic Cavalry The battle will take place in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe, which is the land between the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea, and the place where Alexander and Attila's empires come the closest together. Most of it is a large, empty plain, with occasional groups of hills. Either force can retreat if possible and redeploy, but both generals see the other side as a threat to their power, and will not stop until one of them falls. Notes *Votes only count if we say they do. *Voting will end whenever we feel we have enough. Category:Blog posts